brooks



(No Model.)

E. J. BROOKS. REGISTBRING HAND STAMP.

Patentd Dec. 6, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD J. BROOKS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE E. J. BROOKS & COMPANY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

REGISTERING HAND-STAM SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,657, dated December 6, 1892.

Application led June 4, 1892. Serial No. 435,559. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it Tiwy concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BROOKS, a

Y citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Registering Hand-Stamps', of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates, primarily, to the portable postmarking-stamps generally used in post-oflices; and its primary object is to provide for counting and registering the number of pieces of mail in or by the act of using such stamps without unnecessarily complicating their construction or greatly increasing their weight or cost.

The invention consists in a postmarkingstamp or any like hand-stamp provided with an annular counting-register surrounding the tang of the die between the die and the handle of the stamp and in a certain combination and arrangement of parts whereby the tang of the die is utilized for actuating an annular register so located, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

A sheet of drawings accompanies this speciiication as part thereof.

Figure 1 of the drawings is an elevation of an improved postmarking-stamp. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section through the same. Figs. 3 and 4 represent cross-sections on the lines 3 3 and 4 4, Fig. 2, respectively. Fig. 5 represents a fragmentary section on line 5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective View of the ratchet-pawl and its spring and carrier shown in Figs. 2 to 5, and Fig. 7 is a small scale outline View illustrating the operation of the stamp.

Like reference letters and numbers indicate like parts in all the figures.

The die D may be of any approved make, but is preferably provided with a circumferential rabbet 8 at top in preparing it to coact with the register R, which is immediately above the die, and has as part of its shell a rim 9, fitted to said rabbet, so as to exclude dust. The customary tang 10 of the dieD is also machined to adjustit for added functions, being loosely iitted to a tubular casing 1l, which is formed in one part with said regis- 5o ter-shell and is tightly fitted in turn into the customary wooden handle H, which is thus tightly connected with the shell of the register R and is movable lengthwise therewith relatively to the die D, as illustrated by full and dotted lines in Fig. 7. A slot 12 in said tang 10, in connection with a stop-pin 13, which worksin said slot and is held at its ends in holes in said casing 1l, limits said movement of the handle H- and register R and prevents the separation of the parts, and a spiral spring 14 within the closed upper end of said casing 11, coacting with the upper end of said tang 10, keeps the stamp normally extended.

The indicators of the register R preferably consist of rings 15 16 17, surrounding the tang 10, one above another, Within the registershell, their indications being read through a slot 18, which may, it desired, be closed by a locked cover. Supposing three to be used, as in the drawings, the first may register units to 9 or to 99, the second tens orhundreds, and the third hundreds or tens of thousands. clearness rings registering, respectively, units to 9, tens to 90, and hundreds to 900, with a total capacity of 999, are represented. After reaching this total the neXt actuation resets ali the rings at0, as in Fig. 1. For actuating such a register from the tang 10 of the die D the tang isprovided, for eXample,with a horizontal notch 19, and this is engaged by astudpin 20 on a horizontal arm of a bell-crank lever 21, which is pivoted to a suitably milled and slotted hub 22 of the register-shell by aA screw 23, Figs. 3 and 5, and has a second arm extending upward to the plane of the unitsring 15 and there provided with a pawl 24, Fig. 6, and a spring 25, which presses said pawl into mesh with ratchet-teeth 26, ten in number, formed on the inner circumference of the ring. At each stamping operation, as illustrated by Fig. 7, when the die D comes in contact with the piece of mail and is stopped by the table or support on which the mail lies the spring 14 yields and the handle H and register R are depressed relatively to the die, as in full liuesin said figure. This movement presses the stud-pin 2O against the bottom of the notch 19, and thereby causes the lever 21 to retract the pawl 24 into engage- For v ICO ment with a fresh tooth of the units-ring 15. As soon as the downward pressure on the stamp is relaxed the sp1-in g 14 re-elevates the handle H and register R, and by the coactiOn of said stud-pin 19 with the top of said notch 20 the lever 2l is made to thrust forward the pawl 24,andthereby turn theunitsring 15, so as to register one or one more in the reading-slot 18. At the completion of each revolution of the units-ring the tensring 16 is given a one-tenth turn, and at the Completion of each revolution ofthe tensring the hund reds-ring 17 receives a Onetenth turn. The means for doing this and all other details of the register may beot any preferred description, and will be understood by those skilled in the art Without further description.

An annular register' of any approved make, located between the die and the ferrule end of the handle of a postmarking-stamp or a like hand-stamp, as above, and actuated by the movement of the handle and register relatively to the die by any suitable means, is intended to be included within the scope of this invention, and details hereinbefore set forth are not included in myrespeetive claims,

except as therein expressly stated.

Having thus described the said improvement, I claim as my invention and desire to patent under this specication* 1. The combination, in a postmarking-stamp or any like hand-stamp, of a suitable die having a vertical tang,a handle having alimited movement upon said tang relatively to said die, and an annular counting-register surrounding said tang between the die and the ferrule end of the handle and actuated by each depression of the handle relatively to thedie,substantiallyas hereinbeforespecified.

2. The combination, in a postmarking-stamp or any like hand-stam p, of: a suitable die having a central tang, a handle having alimited do Wn Ward movement relatively to said die, an annular register surrounding said tang and carried by said handle between its ferrule end and the die, a spring which re-elevates said handle and register, and suitable mechanism coacting with said tang and transmitting motion to the units-indicator of the register during each re-elevation of the handle and register, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

EDWARD J. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

JAS. L. EWIN, GEO. M. WHITNEY. 

